You Know, While I'm Happy That The Republicans Are Embroiled In Scandal...

[THUNDER HANDS]

In politics, timing is everything, and I can't help but wish that all these scandals had broken either a year earlier or a year from now.

Having the GOP tied up in this mess they're currently in now, in 2005, really does nothing to help us. Its in-between elections. We're 3 years from a presidential election, 1 year from congressional elections. The timing couldn't be better for the GOP.

If any political party had to endure scandals, now is the perfect time for them to do it and get them over with.

I don't know how many more scandals there are, but I'm sure there's at least a few more. But if they come out too soon it might give them enough time to craft a strategy and bounce back from them.

A whole year is a long time in politics. About this time last year we were getting set for the presidential debates. Remember those? It seems like an eternity ago.

So while I'm happy the GOP appears to be cracking, there's still plenty of time to patch up the cracks. So, I'm not going to be overly giddy about the prospects of a Dem revolution come 2006 unless we, as a party, get our act together and keep the pressure on.

Americans have a very short memory and even shorter attention span. What's happening now could very well be forgotten in six months, let alone 13.

[RagingInMiami]

1. I think what is happening now is going to continue snowballing

into more scandal. This is not just one scandal, but several unrelated scandals that have one thing in common.

It's all republicans. The only way they can recover from this is if we let them recover from it.

Remember what the republicans did to clinton for a marital infidelity.

What we have against them now is much larger, and people are beginning to see that.

[JDPriestly]

5. We should start the Roberts watch right away.

Wait till people see what this guy is going to do for corporations and to them. If we frame him right, we will win a lot of people's hearts.

[win_in_06]

20. What if he turns out to be a David Souter type?

Will that similarly hurt those who voted against him?

[ProudDad]

22. No

[ncteechur]

23. No it won't hurt--or no he won't be like Souter?

[ProudDad]

25. No it won't hurt those who voted for him

amerikan memories are short.

I've been thinking that since scalia allegedly WAS "the brightest" on on the court and was probably thinking that he would be the next chief, the arrival of this johnny come lately might piss him off. This might leave the way clear for Souter, Kennedy, Ginsburg and Stevens to influence his "growth" as a justice. He sure as hell ain't gonna listen to thomas (a moron) and Scalia's ego probably won't let him be as "collegial" as the others can be.

Who knows. Earl Warren was a right-wing republican asshole who interned the Japanese as Gov of California until he got lifetime tenure. Who knows...

(Edited to add)...

It really is more up to us. If society can be changed into one that cares about fairness and justice instead of "I got mine, Jack so fuck you", the court may come along. It did in the '60s... The Warren Court definitely WASN'T what Eisenhower (hell, or even Truman) had in mind but that's what society demanded...the forces of history.

[JDPriestly]

24. It isn't likely although it could happen.

Roberts has a long history as a right-wing Republican partisan. Bush, Jr. is not going to make the Souter mistake. Of course, you can't tell for sure what a person will experience and how it will change them.

[MADem]

7. I agree with you

The media has their fangs in the flank, and they will keep chewing until the carcass is well and truly shredded.

And the GOP are the gift that keep on giving--just the DeLay indictment created more stories, with Drier being chosen as handpicked successor (oooops, that one didn't fly) and Blunt being a crook, too!

And gasoline is supposed to go up fifteen percent...if you say that fast, it doesn't sound like forty five cents a gallon, but once you start pumping, you see the diff!

I fueled up a car for a relative the other day--shit, I thought I was vacationing in Ireland when I went to pay the damn bill!

All politics is local, and there ain't nothing more local than your wallet or your pocketbook!

[ProudDad]

21. You're right

it's systemic.

It's built into the corporate-centric, corrupt political system we have here in this country (and many others). Our's is somewhat special though in that it's awash with money buying lies over truth and insider manipulations over openness and fairness.

The bad news is that most of the Dems are nearly as corrupt...they certainly were when they were in power. It's one of the main reasons that the pukes were able to pull the wool over people's eyes enough to get into power themselves. I'm afraid that if the Dems get into power again it will be essentially more of the same. Perhaps not to this degree but the wheeling and dealing among the connected and the revolving door between corporations and government will roll right along.

[Not Me]

2. I actually think it's going to be an albatross

around the neck of Repubs in 2006 and 2008.
Further, *ush can forget about any 'agenda' (ie: Social Security, etc.) for the rest of his second term. He shot his wad of "political capital".

[THUNDER HANDS]

3. while I think that's good

I'm more concerned with the immediate short-term, and that's the Congress. We have to take it back in 2006, at least one branch. With all the crap that the GOP is going through, if we don't get within 5 seats of a majority in the House and within 1 seat in the Senate then this will have been a wasted opportunity.

[lancdem]

8. I think there's much more in store for the GOP

with the Abramoff and Plame investigations. However, the Dems are far from having a coherent message that's more than just "I'm not a Republican," so I very much agree with you there. We must get our act together soon to take advantage of this in 2006.

[jonnyblitz]

11. ha....i love that comment: "shot his wad of political capital"

:thumbsup:

[Hegemony Cricket]

4. My thoughts exactly...

Forutnately we might be getting an hilarious mug-shot/finger print element that shoud be in the public record and make for some fantastic campaign materials.

There also needs to be a trial in the case of Delay. His lawyers are trying to make that happen as soon as possible for the reasons you underscore. However, by "soon as possible", they're saying by the end of the year. This means, if we're lucky, Delay courtroom shenanigans could extend into 2006.

[liberal N proud]

6. It is about cleaning out the corruption NOW so as to level that

playing field for future elections.
If it happened next year, the Delay's and Frist's and Rove's would all have their fixes on the 06 election in place and it may be too late.
If we can stop them now, maybe it will stop the machine keeping them in power, stop the spin and smear machine.
This can all be used in the elections next year and 08.
Remember the corruption slogans and Remember NOLA

[Clark2008]

9. Well, they're still investigating Frist

so, hopefully, that breaks at the first of next year or in the Spring.

I just hope it breaks. He's a dumbass - and allegedly my senator, although he's never done a thing I agree with save stem-cell research (but that was to line HCA's pockets, not for the good of research).

[Pepper32]

10. I'm a little concerned about the timing as well.

Hopefully, these stories do not fizzle out. Personally, I don't think Katrina ever will. The damage is too great and affected thousands of people. As they rebuild NOLA there will be controversy over wages, housing etc. As the evacuees become long term residents in camps etc, there will be controversy. As the anger over missing loves ones set in there will be controversy. As more of the truth comes out from victim stories there will be controversy. This story will go on and on...

The people of NOLA and the injustice done to them will NOT just go away.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

12. Schiavo will also haunt them into 06, along with the Katrina victims. nt

[Savannah Progressive]

14. Haunting the Repugs

The problem is we have seen scandal after scandal and seen the Repugs using their allies, like Limbaugh and Hannity, to spin it all away. By the time Limbaugh and the Talk Radio Repugs are done, it's all our (Progressives) fault that their party is filled with crooks.

I mean, after the Public Relations job the Corporations and the Repugs have done. Look, more and more people are supporting destroying ANWR for the promise of cheap gas. More and more people are buying into the PR Hype that is the Rove spin machine on high speed. You all know this as well as I do, many of you better than I. I admit to being a new poster, but have read much of you for a while. I just got so angry today after the Roberts vote and seeing the weak knee cowards fold like a house of cards.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

15. Welcome to DU

:hi:

But things that impact everyday lives STICK.

Everyone will die and few want to have (P)rick Santorum or Bill Frist or Tom DeLay or GWB or Jeb standing at the foot of their bed telling them/their family HOW to die properly.

Everyone could be the victim of a natural disaster but few would want to see the level of incompetence demonstrated in NO during Katrina.

Everyone puts gas in their cars.

Everyone is disgusted by government waste and no-bid contracts.

And everyone knows widespread corruption when they see it.

It's the 'it impacts you' factor.

[Savannah Progressive]

27. The "it impacts you factor"

The problem is that every time we mention the runaway spending of the Repugs, we are told that before we cut these important (I can only assume that means to their cronies) programs, we should wipe out the Endowment for the Arts. National Public Radio, Public Television, Welfare, Medicare, Medicaide, and the list goes on and on. We are told that these programs, like Head Start, are wasteful, but that they are funded despite being unpopular (with the secret handshake meetings of the RepubliKKKans)purportedly with the public.

In the end, these crooked ba****s are using sound bite politics to destroy our nation. They use fear, turning the Soccer Moms into Security Moms.

I endured Hannity at work one day when a co-worker insisted on playing the moron's radio show. He actually admits his brain washing technique as "the Hanitization of America" and the Modern Moonies are busy recruiting others.

Here is a condensed version of any of the Right White parties radio fare.



We don't have cheap gas? Well it's not the Greedy Oil Companies and the Bush Cronies, it's the Environmentalists and their obstructions to destroying millions of square miles of land, poisoning the Water, and polluting the Air.

We don't have enough jobs? Well it's the rampant Liberals and their obstruction to Globalization of jobs. No, outsourcing has nothing to do with there being no good jobs here.


We need to get the truth out there, and while the net is doing a great deal of good, we can't stop spreading the message. Right now, the Court hangs in the ballance, we surrendered on the Roberts Fight. We should have fought him tooth and nail. If the Rupert Murdoch media calls us Obstructionist, agree, say we will always obstruct a racists homophobe who wants God and Fred Phelps to control America. Tell them Yes, we object, and will obstruct anyone who thinks a womans right to choose is a mistake.

Tell them that high gas prices are a small price to pay for protecting the environment. Tell them that Bush and the oil companies are laughing all the way to the bank when we turn our backs on solar, geo-thermal, wind, and all the other alternative energy sources. Instead we would rather fight a war to secure the position of the House of Saud as one of our owners, slaves to the OPEC cartel.

We need to stop being doormats, and stop being defensive when we are called Liberal. Liberal was the standard for so many years, how did it become a disgrace in the Moonie Media?

[Pepper32]

17. Agreed (nt)

[windbreeze]

13. I hope I am not the only one

that begins to wonder what happens when these guys get desperate to maintain control, or what happens when they see their control slipping away...Does anyone think they are going to go quietly into the night, and just be willing to give up? That concerns me far more than elections at this point in time..
windbreeze

[ailsagirl]

16. No way will the bush crime family go quietly

Hell, they've never admitted wrongdoing of any sort. Repugs don't apologize... EVER.

Their hubris is mind-boggling.

But I try not to think about it because the scenarios my imagination can conjure up are nightmarish, to put it mildly.

:(

[cassiepriam]

18. who says it will all be done in 6 months?

with these crooks, this could just be the beginning.
Once they start singing to save their own necks, who knows
who they will finger.

[Awsi Dooger]

19. I don't get it, either

If our numbers suddenly swelled via a great new leader or message, that would be significant and sustainable. The GOP's self-destructive last few months don't necessarily mean squat in regard to 2006 or 2008. On a different site today I saw a breakdown that the recent party ID switch has been primarily Republican to independent. Big deal. That's just the soft GOP supporters temporarily refusing to admit they lean Republican.

[ladylibertee]

26. No No No. This is fine.We will just keep it "fresh" lol

[deadparrot]

28. You're right that the public has a short memory...

however, many of the stories have staying power.

Take Iraq. We'll still be there 12-18 months from now, no question. And the situation isn't going to improve any. Especially with the death toll inching ever nearer to 2000. :puke:

The longer they delay the release of the Abu Ghraib photos, the closer it'll be to the election.

Also...as you've noticed, the Bush administration kind of creates their own scandals. Terri Schiavo, for instance. They could have let it be from the start, but they insisted on getting involved. Ditto on Iraq (which includes DSM, Plame, etc.).

Tom DeLay...well, as I assume he's going to be running for re-(s)election, his story will definitely be repeated come next fall. One of the highest-profile members of the Republican party indicted? That's a pretty big deal.

What we're seeing now is the Bush administration not knowing when to stop. They cannot and will not admit defeat on any issue, which leads them to screw with everything they can get their grubby little paws on. And, as we're seeing, anything and everything they touch turns to shit. That's not going to change over the next year.

[DearAbby]

29. The Katrina Issue was the turning point in the minds of a lot of

republicans, they watched on TV the lack of response from their party and watched people suffer and die needlessly. It is an issue that will carry into the '06 elections.

Also the War will be a large issue.

Plame Grand Jury investigation is coming to an end, with possible indictments, that will surely carry a lot of weight around the necks of GOP candidates.

Each day brings something new. It is only the begining.